Bowl with malleable lip

ABSTRACT

A bowl for serving food items includes a bowl bottom having at least one vertical sidewall extending therefrom. A malleable lip is disposed along an upper edge of the vertical sidewall. The lip transitioning between an open position wherein the lip is folded against the outside facing surface of the sidewall, and a closed position wherein the lip forms an overhang radiating toward the center portion of the bowl.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to bowls for use in consuming food items and more particularly to a bowl having a malleable lip section.

Bowls for serving food and/or liquid food items are well known in the art and come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Additionally, there are some known food bowls which have a curved upper lip that can act as a scoop for assisting a user to deposit the liquid contents of the bowl onto a utensil such as a spoon or other such device.

Although generally useful for individuals such as children, the elderly and/or the infirm, these traditional bowls suffer from many drawbacks which have seriously impacted the potential for commercial success. For example, by providing a fixed inward radiating lip, these conventional bowls are not able to be stacked in a compact manner wherein the bottom surface of a first bowl is positioned within the walls of a second bowl located beneath it. This is because the inward radiating lip section of the second bowl is, necessarily, more narrow than the walls of the first bowl, and therefore prevent compact stacking of the bowls. As a result, precious cabinet space within a kitchen is occupied by the inefficiency of these bowls.

Additionally, the design of these bowls presents a serious impediment to the ability to thoroughly wash and clean the bowls after use. This is because when these conventional bowls are placed on their sides or in an inverted position within a dishwasher, for example, dirty water, soapy detergent and/or food items become trapped within the curved lip section, thereby preventing the same from being washed away. As such, it is not uncommon for the lipped section of these bowls to become more soiled after the bowl is washed, than it was before going into the dishwasher.

In light of the above, it would be beneficial to provide an improved bowl which incorporates a malleable lip surface which can assist users in enjoying food items and that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the above noted devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a bowl for serving food items. One embodiment of the present invention can include a bowl bottom having at least one vertical sidewall and a malleable lip. The lip can function to transition between an open position wherein the lip is folded against the outside facing surface of the sidewall, and a closed position wherein the lip forms an overhang radiating toward the center portion of the bowl. When in the closed position, the lip can function to create a curve for facilitating transfer of liquid items from the bowl and into a utensil such as a spoon, for example.

This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a view of a bowl with malleable lip, accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a bowl with malleable lip, accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a radial cross-section view of the bowl wherein the lip is in a closed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a radial cross-section view of the bowl wherein the lip is in an open position, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3C is a radial cross-section view of the bowl wherein the lip is in a closed position and in operation, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bowl wherein the lip is in a closed position, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

Although described herein as a “bowl,” one of skill in the art will recognize that the inventive concepts described herein can also be incorporated into other commonly utilized food serving items such as plates and serving trays, among others, for example. Moreover, for purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a bowl with malleable lip that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, the bowl 10 can include a sidewall 12 that is interposed between a malleable lip 13 and a base 14. The sidewall 12 extending around the periphery of the base 14 to define a vessel capable of holding solid or liquid food.

As shown, the sidewall 12 can include a lower section 12 a that is connected to the outside periphery of the bowl bottom 14 a, and an upper section 12 b connected to the malleable lip 13. In one preferred embodiment, the wall 12 can include a sloped circular member radiating outward and upward from the bowl bottom 12 (as viewed when the bowl is resting upright on a flat horizontal surface), this side wall defining the circumference of the bowl 10. Of course, any number of other shapes, dimensions and angles are also contemplated. To this end, the bowl can include a non-circular shape (e.g., rectangular) having a plurality of connected side walls at one or more different angles with respect to each other and/or the bottom of the bowl 14.

The bowl base 14 can preferably be shaped to direct food, and particularly liquid food towards the side wall 12. In this regard, one embodiment of the base 14 can include a shape wherein the center portion of the base 14 b includes a height that is greater than a height of the periphery of the base 14 a that connects with the bottom portion of the sidewall 12 a. Such a feature will facilitate natural movement of liquids towards the sidewall of the bowl.

As described herein, the bowl base 14 and sidewall 12 can be constructed in accordance with known manufacturing processes from any number of suitable materials such as plastic, metal, ceramic glass and other materials commonly utilized with food service instruments.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a radial cross section of the bowl 10, wherein the lip 13 includes a proximal end 13 a, a curved middle section 13 b, a lip edge 13 c and a first surface 13 d for making contact with the food items. FIG. 3A illustrating the lip 13 is in a closed position (i.e., 180 degrees), and FIG. 3B illustrating the lip in an open position (i.e., 0 degrees). As shown, when the lip is in the closed position, the lip edge 13 c and the first surface 13 d can extend inward toward the radial center of the bowl in a generally parallel orientation, thereby forming an overhang 30 to facilitate transfer of liquid food onto a spoon. In one embodiment, the radial depth of the overhang can be between approximately 0.25 inches and 2 inches, for example, depending on the overall size of the bowl. As defined herein, the term “radial depth” describes the distance relative to the bowl that is located between the lip edge 13 c and the upper edge of the sidewall 12 b from which the lip 13 extends.

In order to transition between the closed and open position, and owing to the elastomeric construction of the lip, the lip edge 13 c can be bent outward (i.e., away from the radial center of the bowl), thereby resulting in the lip passing through the vertical Y axis and snapping into the open position illustrated in FIG. 3B. When it is desirable to transition from the open to the closed position, the same steps are repeated in an opposite direction. In this regard, the resilient nature of the lip will automatically form the curved overhang described above.

FIG. 3C illustrates a radial cross section of the bowl 10, wherein the lip 13 is in operation. As shown, the malleable lip 13 can function to create a curved upper boundary of the bowl that can assist users in depositing liquid food L onto a spoon 5 or other such utensil via a scooping motion (see arrow A). In this regard, the lip 13 can preferably be constructed from a resilient and generally elastomeric material such as rubber or silicone, for example, having a proximal end 13 a that is permanently secured along the entirety of the upper edge of the sidewall 12 b. As described above, the lip 13 can preferably transition across an arc spanning 270 degrees, for example, about the top edge of the sidewall 12 b.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the bowl 10 wherein the lip is in the open position. As shown, when in the open position, the lip can be folded against the outside facing surface of the sidewall 12 so that the overhang 30 is removed, and the curved portion aligns with the natural curvature of the outside of the bowl sidewall. Moreover, when in this position, the first lip surface 13 d is now fully exposed, and the same can be thoroughly cleaned in both a sideways and inverted position without trapping debris.

Although illustrated above as including a circular shape and particular construction materials, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, the device 10 can include any number of known shapes and construction materials which are desirable and suitable for use with food items.

As described herein, one or more elements of the bowl with malleable lip 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individual elements such as the bowl bottom 14, bowl wall 12, and/or lip 13, for example, may be formed together as one continuous element, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, each of the bowl bottom 14, sidewall 12 and lip 13 can be constructed from a generally resilient material such as rubber, for example. Of course, any number of other materials is also contemplated.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A bowl, comprising: a bowl base having a center section and an outer periphery; at least one sidewall having a bottom edge that is in communication with the outer periphery of the bowl base, said at least one sidewall having a generally orthogonal relationship with the bowl base; and a lip having a first surface, a proximal end that is in communication with an upper edge of the at least one sidewall, a curved middle section and a lip edge, said lip including a malleable construction and functioning to transition between an open position and a closed position.
 2. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the lip edge extends inward toward the center section of the bowl base, and the curved middle section and the first surface form an overhang when the lip is in the closed position.
 3. The bowl of claim 2, wherein a radial depth of the overhang is between approximately 0.25 inches and 2 inches.
 4. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the lid is in a generally parallel orientation with the bowl base, when the lip is in the closed position.
 5. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the lip is positioned at an angle of approximately 0 degrees relative to the upper edge of the at least one sidewall when the lip is in the closed position.
 6. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the lip edge extends away from the center section of the bowl base when the lip is in the open position.
 7. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the lid faces away from the center section of the bowl base when the lip is in the open position.
 8. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the lip is positioned at an angle of approximately 180 degrees relative to the upper edge of the at least one sidewall when the lip is in the open position.
 9. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the lip is constructed from an elastomeric material and functions to conform to a shape of the at least one sidewall when the lip is in the open position.
 10. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the bowl base includes a generally planar construction.
 11. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the center section of the bowl base includes a height that is greater than a height of the outer periphery of the bowl base.
 12. The bowl of claim 1, wherein the bowl base and the at least one sidewall are constructed from a material that is different than a construction material of the lip.
 13. The bowl of claim 1, wherein each of the bowl base, the at least one sidewall and the lip are constructed from a generally malleable construction material. 